With Child
by Light Derived from Darkness
Summary: “Will I bear your child!” the sorceress spat, backing away with a scowl. “I have never heard such a sick request before. But, if it is a child you truly wish to have, then I shall now make it so you can bear your own...”
1. No Longer a Harmless Question

_"Will _I _bear your child?!" the sorceress spat, backing away with a scowl. "I have never heard such a sick request before. But, if it is a child you truly wish to have, then I shall now make it so you can bear your own..."_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or anything in association with it.

**Chapter One:**_ No Longer a Harmless Question_

During the early hours of the morning, Miroku usually found solace in walking about as the others remained asleep. It could become troublesome to attempt to slumber for him, especially considering that Sango now involuntarily slapped him across the face as she slept, even if he hadn't touched her at all. He still had red marks all down his face as proof of this.

The village was uncomfortably silent, so he instead this day traveled down towards the stream, hoping to replenish himself. He scrapped the staff's end along the ground, carving out unnoticed, arcane pictures in the mingled sands and dirt as he watched the water near.

He was almost tempted to take an early bath this morning with the surprising warmth of the water but resisted the urge to. The previous night had been so terribly hot that none of them had been able to fall asleep until late hours of the night, sleeping as far away from one another to avoid any unnecessary body heat. Not a single cool breeze had blessed them throughout the night, and considering this Miroku simply cupped the clear water in his hands and drank it briskly, hoping next to search the village for any needed exorcisms he could perform. It was at least something to keep him preoccupied with their conquest against Naraku at a temporary halt.

Kagome had returned to her era and would return this coming afternoon. Inuyasha was impatiently awaiting her even now by the well, probably slumbering in its shadow with her forgotten item, a simple school notebook, tucked in his arms. Miroku never understood why he would never admit his feelings for Kagome, especially when he showed his emotions in so many different outlets, whether it was protecting her or rescuing her or just simply risking his life for her. But then, he wasn't really one to talk when even now, a girl of similar affection in his heart was sleeping soundly in Kaede's hut, completely unaware of his feelings for her.

He stood once more, watching his reflection for a moment while looking deeper beyond the distorted image in the ripples. Every day he had convinced himself he would tell her, reveal to her the inner workings of his heart, but every day he cowered from doing so. And each time he did this, it became harder to face himself.

He sighed and turned, preparing to journey back to the village and await the first awakened life of this day, when he saw a figure standing just a few yards from him, seeming to contemplate whether they should confront him or remain silent. He turned and faced the stranger, deciding to speak first since they seemed too fearful to.

"Are you in need of something?" he asked, and the figure raised their head just enough so their face could be faintly seen in the predawn light.

She was beautiful, so much so that he nearly dropped his staff absentmindedly as he stared. His reflection once staring from below vanished into the rapids, almost seeming to look away from him as it did so.

"I was wondering if you knew which way it was to the nearest village," the woman requested simply, and Miroku was for a moment so stricken that he didn't answer, his expression frozen in a state of awe. Finally he shook it away, rubbing his eyes as though he had just been looking into a brilliant light before answering.

"The nearest village is up this hill right here, just follow the path and you'll see it ahead," Miroku directed using his staff, and the woman's once concerned features shifted into one of faint happiness as a smile formed on her face.

"Thank you very much for your kindness dear monk," she replied, beginning to walk towards the designated walkway to the commune.

"Excuse me, before you leave there's something I _must_ ask you," Miroku said, setting a hand on her shoulder. She didn't seem suspicious of anything, as she turned her head immediately, still smiling vaguely as she awaited his question.

It was almost like a ritual, a tradition now to him, and so systematic that he hardly realized what he was doing. He removed his hand from her shoulder and then took her hands in his quickly, and she at first seemed surprised, but it was nothing compared to the look that came over her when the question itself was unveiled.

"Will you bear my children?"

Her expression distorted first into one of horror, and then one of disgust. Miroku was surprised; usually the women he asked blushed and kindly refused, or simply slapped him across the face with a scowl. But she looked so distraught over this he immediately regretted what he had just done.

"How _dare_ you! Do you think a sorceress of my esteem would honestly bear the children of a monk? And you _dare_ to break the code of your order by asking this of me?" she spat, but he only happened to catch a single word in all of her accusations.

"Did you just say 'sorceress?'" he asked, taking an instinctive step back.

"Yes, and I plan to put my abilities to good use this moment," she hissed angrily, and Miroku instantly felt his hair stand on end. She looked so livid that he half-expected to burst into flames at any given moment.

"The very nerve. Will I bear your child?!" the sorceress spat, backing away with a scowl. "I have never heard such a sick request before. But, if it is a _child_ you truly wish to have, then I shall now make it so _you_ can bear your own..."

Miroku didn't like the sound of this, but before he could do anything he suddenly felt a strange pain surface from within him. It began in his abdomen and then spread throughout him, as though something were sprouting from his flesh and tearing it asunder. He grasped himself in a pained self-embrace and gasped in desperation for aid, looking up to merely see the nameless sorceress vanish into the forest without another word or glance.

'What's happening to me? Surely she couldn't have…' he thought fearfully to himself, and while he was still suffering the anguish of whatever she had done to him, he reached up with his shaking hands and carefully undid his robes until he could see the origins of his pain.

His stomach was strangely enlarged and rounded without explanation, and he stared at it for a moment before he reached down and gently rested the tips of his fingers against the taut flesh of it. He felt something move as he did so, and fearfully he removed his hand and tumbled backwards in disorientation, stunned still and silent as the truth finally impacted him.

"Oh my Lord, she did make it so I bear my own children! She made me pregnant!"


	2. Prospects of Motherhood

If Miroku had found himself shocked and speechless upon the discovery of his pregnancy, the others gave meaning to the word _horrified._

"So she placed a spell on you that did this? Do you think that she could still be in the village somewhere?" Kagome asked as Miroku literally toppled backwards attempting to sit, having not adapted yet to the external weight.

"I don't know if she is; all I know is that I'm in constant pain and craving some of the strangest combinations of food I have ever thought of," he said, resting against the side of the hut as the others continued to stare from his pained expression to the bulging womb of life that had suddenly appeared from him.

"Well, if she still is in the village somewhere then maybe we can reason with her and get you out of this," Kagome started, gently wiping the sweat beads from his forehead when there was a sudden sound of disapproval from behind her.

"I think he got what he deserved, walking up to strange women and asking them to bear his children. No wonder she did this to you Miroku, you probably horrified her, or disgusted her like you always do me whenever I watched you ask that question to girls that are hardly more than children," Sango spat harshly, and though Miroku wasn't in the sort of condition for this verbal punishment, he knew he deserved it. And every word of her argument had been pure fact.

"I think we should go into the village and see if we can find this sorceress. Maybe if you apologize then she'll remove whatever she did to make you pregnant Miroku," Kagome said, but all the monk could do was moan slightly in response, feeling pressure of the secondary being becoming worse, it seemed, with every passing moment.

"My only question is how he's going to give birth when he's a male, unless Kagome left out the part about males also being able to give birth when she was explaining where babies come from," Shippo said curiously from behind Inuyasha, his ears perked up in the air awaiting an answer.

"I've wondered about that myself…" Miroku said, removing his sapphire tunic due to the immense heat of a fever coming on from his condition.

"Oh my…she turned me into a woman as well?!" Miroku suddenly shouted, wrapping his clothes back around his shoulders once more as the others stared in horror at what had once been a masculine body, and now was no longer.

"Well how else did you expect to give birth Miroku? Spit the child out of your mouth when the time is right?" Sango said as Miroku sank back against the wall, suddenly looking horribly depressed all over again. "I'm surprised you aren't happy with this newfound development; now you can fondle and grope yourself all you want without involving me in your disgusting desires."

"C'mon Kagome, if we're going to find that sorceress and get Miroku, or should we now say Miroka, back to normal before he, er she, either goes insane or actually does bear a child, then we have to go now," he said, shoving the miko from the hut with a disgruntled and slightly confused expression as Shippo turned away, looking nauseous from these newest discoveries.

"Who would have thought being turned into some you've always been infatuated with would be such a curse. Now I see why some women were so disgusted with that question; being pregnant hurts like nothing I've ever experienced!" Miroku whined somewhat immaturely, though Sango honestly couldn't blame him. She recalled the days when her own mother had been pregnant for Kohaku, groaning in agony yet happy at the same moment with the coming of her second child. But for Miroku it really was just a curse; the child that may be born of him would simply be a punishment, not a symbol of love or wanted creation.

"If you do manage to give birth, there's going to be a lot to do in order to take care of your child you know," Sango said, and Miroku nodded, now gently rubbing the sore area of his abdomen, still feeling utterly awkward with this new presence within himself.

"What happens if I die giving birth?"

Sango gasped quietly to herself; this had never even occurred to her. Women were naturally developed and taught how to deal with child bearing and how to deal with the pain and changes, but Miroku had been a male up until this point; he had no idea of what was to come, or how to deal with it.

"You won't Miroku; I'm going to help you get through this, even if I still think you deserve it for being uncaring of the fates of all those women whom you asked to do the same for you."

"I understand. Thank you Sango," Miroku said quietly, and Sango believed it was perhaps some of the few genuine words he had spoken to her, not laced with some unwanted innuendo or worry of a coming struggle.

'I just hope he manages to pull through it. I don't think I could watch someone else die during such a time yet again…'


	3. Understanding?

_No, I'm not writing this fic as part of a challenge. I thought of this on my own; it just occurred to me one day that Miroku was going to get himself into a whole heap of trouble asking every woman that question, so here's what I perceive to be a somewhat humorous, somewhat serious punishment for him to endure. I really do like Miroku in the show, but I couldn't resist the idea of this. Oh, and I'm still going to refer to Miroku as a 'he' because he still has the mind of a man, just not the body. And so I don't get hopelessly confused…_

It had been just a short time since Inuyasha and Kagome had left to scour the village for any signs of the sorceress responsible for this situation, but to Sango it felt like forever listening to Miroku groan in agony. She admitted she did feel sorry for him; true, he was an infamous prevent, but somehow she couldn't get herself to believe that he deserved this.

There had been times when she had thought of things to do in vengeance when his inappropriate behavior got on her nerves profusely, but this was definitely a new one. She had never thought that a woman would have the courage in this day and age to strike out against a man, especially one appearing to be a man of religious order, and she also had to admit that that impressed her too. Maybe the sorceress had felt threatened that Miroku would force himself on her if she denied him, though Sango knew with every fiber of her being he would never do this, but she couldn't have known that. To Sango it was an everyday thing, and to some girls it was humorous or flattering considering his handsomeness. But perhaps to this woman it had been threatening, or just too immoral for her to stand.

"Sango…can you bring me some cold water?" Miroku asked weakly, and she turned to see he was looking pale and feverish. This worried her; mothers becoming ill when childbirth appeared near could drastically affect the health of the baby, and cause problems during labor.

So without any more spiteful comments she doused a wet cloth in the brisk stream water and brought the rest of the basin over for him to drink of. He seemed grateful, drinking down the water so fast he became nauseous and momentarily looked even sicklier than before. She wiped down the length of his forehead with the cloth and continued staring at him, hoping her eyes revealed at least part of the worry she was feeling for him.

"I was sure that once you saw me like this you were going to refuse to help me," he said wiping away the excess water with the sleeve of his tunic. His swollen belly was beginning to put a bit too much pressure on the sapphire tunic he wore as he sat, and a few of the seams burst as he moved and shifted about, attempting to become comfortable.

"Well, I could have, and I probably should have. You thought so little of that seemingly harmless question for so long and it ended up getting you into trouble as I always predicted. But right now we have to worry about what's going to become of the child you're giving birth to; that's my biggest concern," she replied, and she instantly felt guilty for having sounded a bit uncaring for Miroku's health as well, considering he could suffer greatly or even die from giving birth. There was always a chance for every woman; sometimes the pain was too much or complications caused the baby to die, leaving the mother, or in this case the father as well in the same body, to anguish over their death until they too may pass away.

"You're going to take care of this child aren't you Miroku? Even if we somehow lift whatever spell did this to you after the birth and get you back to normal, the infant will still be your own."

Miroku looked up at her with confusion clouding his eyes. "What does that mean? Of course I'll take care of the infant; do you really think me as irresponsible as to abandon my own child?"

Yet Sango was already imagining herself or one of the others forced to take care of the baby while Miroku pulled the same stunt again on another woman somewhere.

"Hmmm, I wonder…" Miroku suddenly said, and Sango looked down and was stunned to see Miroku indeed following upon what she had sarcastically suggested earlier: he was groping himself.

"Will you please take this situation seriously Miroku?" she shouted, but Miroku seemed too preoccupied to listen. Sango had an increasing desire to smack a hand clear across his face, but for the sake of putting the child in no danger should he topple over, she restrained herself and finally forced him to wrench his hands away from himself.

"How can I trust you to deal with this situation like a mature adult when you're acting like this? You're about to give birth without any experience in how the female body works, and you're too busy groping yourself to care. Not to mention that that's just utterly disgusting as well to behold," Sango added at the end, and Miroku sighed and lowered his hands as she silently commanded; now it was his turn to restrain himself.

"I do want to take this seriously Sango, but it's as you just said, I have no experience in how females act. How am I going to be a mother if I'm stuck like this?" his worry was beginning to return that had subtly ducked away earlier, and Sango's pity for him returned, though she suspected it would be only momentarily knowing the dirty monk.

"Listen Miroku, we've all going to be here for you throughout this entire ordeal, but you have to act more responsibly. This means no more using your Wind Tunnel or combating in battle; you'll be risking not only your own life but your child's as well now," Miroku nodded with this statement, having already considered this for himself. "And we're going to start getting you ready for when you have to give birth; you'll be experiencing pain unlike anything you've received during conflicts, I can guarantee that," she sighed and looked out the door to where the afternoon light was beginning to intensify, beating down on the villagers as they went about their work. "I'm going to the river again and getting some more water for you; we need to keep you well-fed and hydrated so the baby is nourished."

She was just beginning to approach the door when she Miroku laughing softly and deviously from behind her.

"And stop groping yourself you pervert!"


	4. The Curse Must be Carried Out

Inuyasha and Kagome had scoured the village for what seemed like an eternity, scanning for any suspicious-looking women who may indeed be the sorceress who managed to impregnate Miroku. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, however, and the ordinary village women trekked across the beaten paths leading livestock and picking vegetables from their gardens.

"This is stupid, I say let Miroku suffer whatever that woman did to him. 'Bout time he got what he deserved for being perverted," Inuyasha said rudely, crossing his arms and carrying about him that egotistical aura once more.

"How can you say that Inuyasha? Sure it was getting a bit old that he asked every woman that, but it's pretty harmless when you think about it. In my era guys are never that direct; they stalk after you and make cheap comments and pick-up lines until you either give in or are forced to leave," Kagome said, and with this Inuyasha suddenly became alert and looked strangely angered, his expression no longer apathetic towards their momentary cause.

"What guys say these things? They weren't trying to make you their mate were they?" Inuyasha asked, and Kagome became suddenly so flustered from this questioning that the next thing she said had become instinctive.

"Sit boy! Sit, sit, sit!" she shouted, her face cherry red with humiliation, and Inuyasha was forced to comply as his face indeed met the hard, barren ground that hadn't been blessed with rain in days. He let out a muffled scowl before he impacted, immediately bringing himself up when the feeling returned to his body.

"What the hell was that for? I was just making sure that no one was trying anything on you!" he shouted, and Kagome did indeed feel a bit bad, though she was now turned away from him and continuing down the single road through the village. Maybe he was just looking out for her safety, but then that really wasn't any of his business. The way he would show up sometimes in her era, uninvited into her home would sometimes infuriate her, and sometimes…

"Hey, look over there," Inuyasha said, pointing suddenly at a woman currently examining the rather starved vegetables of one of the farmers, but she was different from the other women of the village. Her robes were a bit foreign, as though she were from another, more aristocratic region of the country.

"She might be her, but we can't make assumptions…" Kagome's rational statement made little difference to the hanyou, who trudged forth and presented himself to the woman in a rude manner.

"Hey, would you happen to be a sorceress?" he asked, and the woman for a moment looked threatened, most likely by his partially demonic appearance, but the elderly man running the stand quieted her fears.

"Do not worry young lady, this hanyou is a member of our village and a friend of the miko who blesses it," he said, and the woman indeed began to calm under this reassurance.

"Yes, I am a sorceress, though I am confused as to how you know this," she said, unraveling the sapphire cloaking around her face. Inuyasha could see now why Miroku would have at least been compelled to attempt his infamous question yet again; the young woman had an exotic beauty about her.

"Well, you kinda cursed one of our friends, and we want you to revoke it. I mean how's a guy supposed to know how to give birth to a child?" Inuyasha scowled, and the young woman suddenly looked apathetic, picking up her roughly sown bag of turnips and river herbs.

"I am afraid that I cannot do that for two reasons. The first is that the spell is irreversible; he will return to his previous gender once the child had been born and he will be left to raise the infant. The second reason is rather irrelevant, but even if there was something I could do I wouldn't do it," she said, and both Inuyasha and Kagome were silent as the woman continued. "You see where I come from women are sold as slaves for men's pleasure, and thus when he said that to me I became frightened and sickened by this. I thought I had escaped such forced measures. But even if he intended me no harm or thought his question was a mere joke, perhaps now he will see what it means for a woman to bear children and suffer through its pains, and these instances will halt."

The sorceress turned and began to walk away, turning but once more as she appeared to be leaving the village to travel on her own. "I pity the woman who falls in love with such a man. How can she ever trust him to be faithful?"

With this said, the only thing the two of them could do was return and tell the others what they had found out. It seemed they would just have to continue their journey with a pregnant woman alongside them. Even though it seemed Miroku still had the mind of a man, his physical appearance didn't quite support this any longer.

"But…what are we supposed to do if Naraku attacks Miroku while he's like this? And with an innocent child's life at stake?" Kagome said, the worry suddenly welling up from within her.

Inuyasha didn't answer.


End file.
